Electronics Buyers' Report Biz is Improving!

What a difference a year makes for electronics buyers: In March, 49% of buyers said business was improving and demand for their companies' end equipment was growing, according to Purchasing's monthly survey of business conditions.

In March 2009, only 11% said business was improving.With business improving, buyers are increasing their purchase orders. A hefty 65% said they would increase their purchase orders (POs) over the next 90 days. The last time that many buyers said they would increase POs was in July 2006.

While some of the orders may be for inventory replenishment, a lot of orders will be for parts needed to build new electronics equipment."There's no question business is heating up," says Paul Blom, senior vice president supply chain for electronics manufacturing services provider SMTC in Markham, Ontario. "There is an incredible increase in demand that we are seeing from our customer base."

SMTC has a broad range of customers, including industrial control, computing and telecommunications OEMs.He says while business tanked in the first half of 2009, it started to rebound in October 2009. "As bad as it was in the first half of last year, it is the opposite today.

"Business is incredible."

13 Customer Retention Tips!

Salespeople are wise to focus on their existing customer base to impact success during economic recovery. Competitors are getting creative and aggressive and existing relationships could be up for grabs … unless…you treat your existing clients like new customers. Think about how you treat new customers.

During economic recovery, treat your customers like new customers by trying the following things:

* Conduct a thorough needs-analysis with them to make sure your solutions still are solutions. Their business has likely changed like the rest of the world.

* Find out where they need help and deliver.

* Figure out how your company can better service them – clear billing, better response on customer service issues, etc.

* Bring senior leaders to face-to-face meetings to thank them for their business and show how valuable they are to your company.

* Sincerely thank them for their business.

* Share new ways to solve old and new problems.

*Share industry expertise. Help them be innovative.

* Help them help their customers succeed.

* Learn everything you can about their business – you’ll recognize ways to help them the more you know their business.

* Be attentive, present and part of the team.

* Commit to quarterly business reviews to hold yourself accountable to the results you promised.

* Make sure they know all that you can do for them. (Exercise: Think of 10 things your top customers may not know about your offering that may help them.) Figure out how to share all your services without giving a sales pitch. Your competitors are sharing this information. It’s best to share this information in response to a business need they have.

* Be someone they can’t live without!

Competitors are gunning for your clients. Treat your existing customers like the gold that they are.

How the Health Care Bill Affects Small Business

NEW YORK (Reprinted from CNN Money.com) --

The sweeping health-care bill passed by the House of Representatives Sunday, and now headed for President Obama's desk, promises a sea change in the way that small business owners purchase and provide health insurance for themselves and their employees.

But many of the provisions won't kick in until 2014 -- and the final rules could still be changed by amendments that will now be considered by the Senate.

Thanks to the political maneuvering that followed the Democrats' loss of a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, the House passed two separate health care bills. The first was an exact duplicate of the one passed by the Senate in December, enabling the president to sign it into law as soon as this week.

The second, a package of diverse amendments addressing elements of the Senate bill that the House wanted changed, will now be voted on in the Senate under "reconciliation" rules that require only a simple majority.

For small businesses, the effects of the now-passed health reform law include:

* By no later than 2014, states will have to set up Small Business Health Options Programs, or "SHOP Exchanges," where small businesses will be able to pool together to buy insurance. ("Small businesses" are defined as those with no more than 100 employees, though states have the option of limiting pools to companies with 50 or fewer employees through 2016; companies that grow beyond the size limit will also be grandfathered in.)

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the exchanges would ease small business insurance costs, albeit only marginally: premiums in the small-group market are forecast to fall between 1% and 4% under the exchanges, while the amount of coverage would rise by up to 3%.

* For the next four years, until the SHOP Exchanges are set up, businesses with 10 or fewer full-time-equivalent employees earning less than $25,000 a year on average will be eligible for a tax credit of 35% of health insurance costs. (Companies with between 11 and 25 workers and an average wage of up to $50,000 are eligible for partial credits.)

The tax credit will remain in place, increasing to 50% of costs, for the first two years a company buys insurance through its state exchange. The Congressional Budget Office predicts that the tax credit will affect about 12% of individuals covered via the small-group insurance market, lowering their cost of insurance by between 8% and 11%.

* Insurers will no longer be able to set rates or exclude coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and can vary premiums only by geographic location, age, and tobacco use.
These restrictions, however, would not kick in until 2014. Going into effect immediately: a ban on lifetime limits on coverage, and on "rescission" (canceling policies already issued) except in cases of fraud.

* Starting in 2014, businesses with more than 50 employees will be required to either offer healthcare coverage or pay a penalty of $750 a year per full-time worker. The coverage offered will also have to meet minimum benefits -- covering both a specific set of services and 60% of employee health costs overall -- or else employers will face additional penalties.

* So-called "Cadillac" plans costing more than $10,200 a year for individuals or $27,500 for family coverage (not counting dental and vision plans) will be subject to a 40% tax on the portion of the cost that exceeds the limit. Though the tax would actually be paid by insurers, it's expected that it would be passed along to plan holders in the form of higher premiums.
Furthermore, if the House amendments approved Sunday pass the Senate intact under the reconciliation process, some other small business provisions will change:

* Part-time employees would be counted toward the 50-employee minimum on pro-rated basis based on hours worked, bringing more small businesses into the group required to provide coverage.

* The $750-per-employee penalty for not providing insurance would rise to $2,000.

* The Cadillac tax would be delayed until 2018 and apply only to the most expensive plans, making it more of a "Maserati" tax, in the words of Kaiser Health News.

* Individuals earning more than $200,000 a year, or couples earning $250,000 or more, would be hit with a 3.8% surcharge on investment income to help pay for the bill.

What's next: For the immediate future, all eyes will likely be on the SHOP Exchanges, which can receive federal aid as soon as next year, though most states probably won't implement them until closer to the 2014 deadline.

"The departments of insurance and the governors' offices and the legislatures will all start thinking about that stuff," said New America Foundation director of health policy Len Nichols in a January interview. "It'll take a while."

Meanwhile, says Nichols, a small business owner "is going to be buying tomorrow in the same market they are today," because the new markets aren't going to be set up until 2014.

A Myriad of Medical Cord & Cord Set Designs!

High Tech Connections provides an entire family of "IN STOCK" and custom-manufactured Hospital-grade and Medical power cords and detachable cord sets.

These products meet the critical standards of "patient care equipment" (see UL section 60601-1).
Hospital-Grade cords all feature the required green dot ID mark on the plug face.

This mark signifies the cord has been specially designed and tested for grounding reliability, assembly integrity, strength, and durability and is fully compliant for use in today's critical hospital and medical instrumentation environments.

Although many clients prefer the plug to be "clear" so internal connections can be visually inspected, gray, black other color options are also offered. All of these cords are UL listed and CSA certified (or, certified cULus). High Tech Connections can produce Hospital-Grade cords in any length and in most popular AWG sizes meeting OEM's specific requirements.

A specially molded Hospital-Grade NEMA 5-15 plug is featured on the supply end. For the equipment end, cords can be custom-stripped to customer's specifications for "hard wiring" or they can be supplied with a molded EN60320 C13 female connector, allowing a detachable option.

Contact your local High Tech Connections sales representative or our sales department on line (sales@hightechcords.com), today with your specific Hospital-Grade cord requirements.

A 12-Step Program to Increased Productivity

by Amber Singleton Riviere.

Productivity can seem so elusive at times. It can be hard to prioritize, manage the workload and stay focused, but with a few simple steps and a good dose of discipline, you can be on your way to more control over your workdays.

1. Plan your exit. Productivity for tomorrow starts today. Set a time to leave the office and stick with it. An hour before that time, have a wrap-up alarm remind you to start wrapping things up for the day, a great tip from organizational and productivity guru Julie Morgenstern in her book, “Never Check E-Mail in the Morning”.

2. Plan tomorrow. Set your intentions and priorities for tomorrow during the last hour of your day so that you hit the ground running.

3. Set your boundaries. At quitting time, turn off the computer (completely off so that you’re not tempted to “quickly” check your email), turn off the light, and shut the door. Don’t return until it’s time to work tomorrow.

4. Honor a bedtime routine. Two or three hours before you want to be asleep, begin a routine of winding down. This will be different for every person, but it might include: no more phone calls or connectivity with the outside world (unless it’s an emergency, of course), no more talk about work, a bath or shower, a cup of hot tea, light reading, journal writing, no television, and lights out at a set time.

5. Start the day off right. Wake up at a set time. Exercise or do yoga for fifteen or twenty minutes, unless you have another workout routine that you prefer. Eat a healthy breakfast (don’t skip this, as it affects your energy levels for the rest of the day). Set out with the right intention for your day by taking care of yourself first.

6. Maintain your boundaries. Don’t immediately go to your office and start checking emails or news feeds. You’ll be at your computer all day. Take some time for yourself and other priorities in your life, or they’re less likely to get done later in the day, especially after work. Have some coffee, write in your journal, read, or go for a walk. Just take some time for yourself before jumping into your work day.

7. Avoid or limit email time. Avoid checking your email right when you go to the office, or if you prefer seeing if anything important is waiting, at least limit your time to fifteen minutes so that it doesn’t distract you from more important tasks. Email is a huge time suck; if you don’t control it, it will control you.

8. Avoid or limit news feeds and social networks. This is another time-suck that easily distracts from other priorities. Set specific times for keeping up with the latest news and updates, and then be diligent about staying away from the distractions.

9. Start with your list. Jump right to your list of intentions and priorities that you jotted down the previous day. You were probably much more focused and honest about what needed your attention when you were planning it out with a clear head. First thing in the morning, it’s easy to want to procrastinate or give too much importance to trivial tasks and to-dos.

10. Check in often. Set yourself an alarm for every hour or two. Don’t let yourself get too far off base from your intention/priority list. If you do get derailed, at least you’ll not lose much time this way.

11. Work in blocks. In a business, it’s easy to have a wide variety of different types of tasks. There might be client work, writing and publishing, and marketing-related tasks to be done. Groups these tasks and complete them in scheduled blocks of time, say two- or three-hour sittings.

12. Stay disciplined. When you finish with a particular type of task, like work for a specific client, don’t pick up that client’s work again until his/her designated time comes back around again. It’s easy to be tempted to do “just one more thing” for a project, especially when clients are emailing feedback and updates throughout the day, but avoid the temptation. Treat all time blocks with equal importance, whether you’re working on client projects or doing lead generation tasks. It’s all important, and if you don’t maintain a balance between current work and future prospects, you’ll experience peaks and valleys with your revenue as well.

It’s not always easy to stay on track. Time flies, distractions can beg for your attention, and deadlines loom, making you feel pulled in one hundred directions and unable to keep up with the demands, but by approaching your work with purpose and discipline, it’s a lot easier to get things done and feel great about what you’ve accomplished.

What steps do you follow each day to stay on track and productive?

Freight Volumes Slowly Trending Upward

Though freight shipments as tracked by the Department of Transportation (DOT) remained lackluster at the end of 2009, according to Fleet Owner, total volumes grew slowly yet steadily over the course of the year – a trend that is expected to pick up speed as 2010 progresses.

While the DOT’s Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) remained unchanged in 2009 from November, the index ended the year trending higher. According to the DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), though the Freight TSI declined 4.1% during 2009, the index increased 2.9% over the last seven months of the year.

The Freight TSI – which measures month-to-month changes in freight shipments in ton-miles from for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air cargo carriers – reached 96.2 in December, a 2.9% increase from its low of 93.5 reached in May – the lowest index reading since June 1997.

Those numbers are in line with industry analyst expectations of continued slow recovery in freight volumes, which should pick up speed in the second half of 2010.
“Right now, we’re still waiting for the ‘line of dominoes’ to fall in terms of the freight market,” Kenny Vieth, partner and senior analyst with ACT Research Co., told Fleet Owner. “But when freight demand turns, it will be big. Fleets are going to go from not wanting trucks to buying all the trucks they can get their hands on.”

Vieth believes the trucking industry is still a quarter or two away from material improvement in freight rates at this point – a view shared by other analysts as well.
“We continue to believe pricing has reached an inflection point for the truckload industry,” noted Jon Langenfeld, transportation and logistics analyst with Wall Street investment firm Robert W. Baird & Co., in the company’s monthly research brief.

“Though carriers remain guarded about first half 2010 bid season prospects, we believe rates have stopped deteriorating,” he said. “Ongoing capacity reductions, through below-replacement demand for new trucks and carrier failures, should return the market to equilibrium during 2010.”

The global economy overall seems to be in recovery, as well, which could help fuel stronger freight flows in the U.S. as 2010 progresses, according to Fitch Ratings. “Recent data have confirmed that global economic recovery started in mid-2009, supported by policy stimulus measures, an easing in the pace of inventory correction and a pick‐up in world trade,” the agency said in its recent Global Outlook 2010 report.

China Tightens Internet Control!

(AP) -- China's technology ministry moved to tighten controls on Internet use Tuesday, saying individuals who want to operate Web sites must first meet in person with regulators. The state-sanctioned group that registers domain names in China froze registrations for new individual Web sites in December after state media complained that not enough was being done to check whether sites provided pornographic content.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said that ban was being lifted, but would-be operators would now have submit their identity cards and photos of themselves as well as meet in person with regulators and representatives of service providers before their sites could be registered. It said the rule was aimed at cracking down on pornography.

China has the world's biggest online population, with 384 million Internet users. The government operates the world's most extensive system of Web monitoring and filtering, blocking pornographic sites as well as those seen as subversive to communist rule. The new regulations come as the government is in talks with Google Inc. about whether the U.S.-based Internet giant will be allowed to continue operating in China after saying in January it would no longer cooperate with the country's Web censorship. The two sides have given no details of the status of their discussions.